The Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) & DigVentures have launched (September 2022) a new Toolkit focused on supporting the management and archiving of digital data on archaeological projects – Dig Digital | Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. It has been developed by Dig Ventures in partnership with CIfA and funded by Historic England.

The question of how to manage archaeological digital data has been a hot topic for years – and with the support and expertise of organisations and colleagues across the historic environment sector, CIfA have now developed a resource to help. In 2018, Historic England commissioned DigVentures, in partnership with CIfA, to review professional standards and current practice in relation to the creation and management of digital archives. This resulted in the creation of a new guidance document which outlines the how, what, who, and when of digital data management in archaeological projects.

A suite of materials has been developed to accompany this document providing up-to-date resources for those working with digital data through the delivery of archaeological projects. The primary aim is to support the production of complete, stable, ordered, and accessible archives that meet professional standards.

The CIfA Standard underpinning archaeological archives has not changed, but updated guidance and the Dig Digital Toolkit recognises how current practice has developed. It is hoped that this resource will be useful to organisations (such as industrial heritage sites, museums, and societies) and individuals working with, managing, or monitoring digital data.